


Midnight And The Jungle

by Geenee27



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:41:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geenee27/pseuds/Geenee27
Summary: A continuing adventure from the story Midnight and the Oasis, as our fearless trio wind their way home. Of course, nothing in their world ever runs completely smoothly and we would not have it any other way.





	Midnight And The Jungle

**Author's Note:**

> “My life, I ask of you no stable  
>  contours, plausible faces, property.  
>  Now in your restless circling, wormwood and honey  
>  have the same savor.  
>  The heart that disdains all motion  
>  occasionally is convulsed by a jolt.  
>  As sometimes the stillness of the country  
>  sounds with a rifle shot.”
> 
> \- Montale

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher swivelled her head to look off to her right. The clouds in the western sky had darkened and were expanding perceptibly, which explained why the wind had started to buffet the bi-plane a little more aggressively.

It had been a hot, muggy morning when they had reluctantly left the comfort of their hotel - and luxurious bed - early, to head out on this next leg of their journey back to the Antipodes. In fact, if the lady had had her way, she would have stayed in Thailand, found a secluded beach hut to hide away in for several days and , having sent Yahwa off to do some fishing for substanance, really had her way – several times. However, duty called and it was time to return to the reality that was their life in Melbourne. And that next adventure was going to involve a whole new kind of navigation.

The hot, muggy air on the ground was rising, causing updrafts that made the handling of the plane much more precarious and Phryne, although her usual calm and confident self, was now quite concerned. This did not portend well to the good flying weather that had been forecast. Perhaps it was time to look for a safe landing area to wait it out. And if that involved finding a secluded beach hut...

She peered over the edge of the cockpit and grimaced, below her for miles there stretched an endless expanse of jungle canopy. Easier said then done, to find some place to safely put the plane down then. Phryne sighed and decided she better include her travelling partner in this change of plans. She raised her eyes up to the back of a tan linen shirt, stretched across a taut, well muscled back and momentarily became distracted at remembering how lovely those muscles moved when he...

Shaking her head, she leaned forward and poked the person, hunched over in the front seat, in the middle of said back. He turned around and she flashed her most guileless of smiles.

Jack knew that smile – very well - in fact too well - and his own dropped into a flat grimness. He raised his eyes over her shoulder, noted that the clouds were coming in fast and thunderous and made a quick surmise that her news was not good.

Phryne pointed at the western horizon, then downward, with her right hand and shrugged. Jack put his hand up on the cockpit lip and looked over the side. Ywhna, who was clinging to a little makeshift seat in front of Jack, followed his lead and looked over as well. Then up again, as he looked at the older two in puzzlement. The young boy had sort of adopted the two detectives in their wanderings in the desert and had tagged along on the journey back to Australia. He looked quite adorable in his own set of oversized googles and flying helmet. Jack looked up at her again and raised both hands, palms up.

Where indeed to land?

Phryne pointed to her wrist; Jack looked at his watch and held up three fingers to indicate it was three in the afternoon. She then looked at her compass and calculated that they must be somewhere over the south Thailand peninsula, near the northern border of Malaysia. And then reasoned that perhaps a turn south easterly would give them a chance to reach the coast of the Gulf of Thailand before it was too late and they were overtaken. A beach would be an excellent landing strip, if they could not find anything else in between where they were and the sea. With the wind and storm at their starbord side, it would make sense, they certainly could not outrace it to a safe landing place in Malaysia at this point.

Her flying scarf was whipping all around her face, so she secured it, fingering the little blue broach attached. She turned once more in her seat to take another look at the maelstrom gathering strength and steered the plane in a southeasterly direction.

Time passed, all around them lay an unbroken stretch of green jungle, not a break nor a clearing to be found. The de Havilland DH.60 Moth was a sturdy, reliable machine, however it would be no match for the thick foliage. They flew on as the angry clouds continued to eat up expanses of blue sky.

******************** 

The storm was almost upon them , splotches of rain began to hit her goggles as the plane raced desperately for the coast. Jack sat stoically looking ahead, hands on both side of the cockpit, searching for the elusive ocean. He glanced back once in a while, to reassure her he hoped, and even though his features were mostly obscured by a set of flight googles and helmet, she could tell he was expressionless. Except for a slight upturn to the side of his mouth were he worried his bottom lip.

Phryne nodded her head slightly. After a war to end all wars and a dozen years on the police force, after all they had been through together, her partner was as unflappable as always. And she would expect nothing less. He was her rock. Her steady presence. Her safe place to fall. Well, lets hope he did not have to prove that - literally as it were.

The skies were very foreboding now, dark. The aviatrix held tightly onto the controls as the plane's wings now rocked side to side, the rain making visibility very difficult. Phryne searched anxiously for a break in the trees or a glimpse of water on the horizon. She was startled by a flash of light and a few seconds later, the crash of thunder. Very close. She lowered the plane to the safest altitude she could allow for and still provide her with optimum manouverability if needed quickly.

Another flash and a crack and the plane suddenly tilted sideways and dropped. The right wings scraped the upper most branches, then the propeller hit the canopy and everything went black for the three intrepid travellers.


End file.
